Huron boys' basketball team competes against O'Gorman
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HURON — The Huron Tigers survived a foul-plagued, back-and-forth contest Thursday night, hitting free throws down the stretch and taking advantage the home crowd, to post a decisive 67-53 win over the second ranked O’Gorman Knights at Huron Arena. The game was a make-up contest from Jan. 17, and took place as the season is winding down and games become much bigger.
“This was a big win for us tonight,” said a hoarse coach Jon Schouten after the game. “There isn’t a bigger game - other than a state tournament game - than when you get two good teams playing a game like this one in a venue like Huron Arena.”
Things went about as well as Schouten could have scripted it from the opening tip. The 3/4 court press that Huron refined at Brookings on Tuesday paid dividends from the start against O’Gorman. The Knights were harassed into several turnovers and failed to score until the three-minute mark of the quarter.
Huron on the other hand, was firing from all areas. Free throws from Cooper Fryberger and a long three-point field goal by Kobe Busch put Huron up 5-0. Another basket from Busch, on a nice baseline shot, and a free throw from Evers made it 8-0.
O’Gorman got on the board with a Cole Hardie jumper, but Derick Siemonsma responded with a baseline drive and reverse layup and when Evers made a steal on the press and took it in for a one-hand flush at the 1:20 mark, Huron led 12 and Knight coach Derek Robey called a time-out to calm his team.
The Tigers got an easy bucket on a nifty inbounds play as Hayden Hegg converted the layup, but a late basket from Jack Cartwright cut the margin to nine points, at 14-5, at the quarter break.
The Knights came out refocused in the second quarter, as they scored the first eight points of the period, as they began a march to the free throw line. Nathan Boehrns hit a three at the 4:50 mark, but picked up his second foul of the half, joining Busch, Hegg and Fryberger as the officials called a very tight game.
Boehrns tallied a bucket on another nice inbounds play to put Huron up 19-15, but Cartwright hit another three to cut it to a one-point lead. Fryberger picked up his third foul, and went to the bench at the 3:30 mark and after Akoi gave the Knights their first lead, Busch responded by taking the ball down low for a deuce. O’Gorman got two free throws but Busch posted up and got a finger roll to go.